Why a Twice-Formatted CFexpress Card Finds Older CR3 Files but Skips a Newer Shoot
TL;DR:
Older September 5 CR3 files can survive multiple in-camera formats on a CFexpress card while newer September 15 and 18 shoots are permanently lost because the latest September 23 recordings overwrite specific data regions rather than strictly clearing the oldest visible content.
● Stop writing to the SanDisk Extreme Pro card immediately and create a full byte-for-byte disk image to a healthy drive using a tool like GNU ddrescue before running further scans with Recoverit, Disk Drill, or 4DDiG.
● Recognizing a file system timestamp, thumbnail, or reconstructed filename during a software scan does not guarantee that the underlying CR3 frames remain intact and free from overwriting by subsequent sessions.
● Cease all intensive software scans and consult a professional data recovery lab if the media exhibits I/O failures or reports an abnormal storage capacity.
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Finding much older CR3 files does not mean the newer missing shoot is still recoverable. After repeated in-camera formats and new recordings, different card regions can have very different survival histories. The dates displayed by recovery software also need verification: file-system timestamps, embedded photo metadata and reconstructed filenames are not always interchangeable.
In this CFexpress photo-recovery case from Reddit, a Mac photographer had used a SanDisk Extreme Pro card for several shoots, formatting it in-camera between sessions. The latest September 23 photos were present; scans found some September 5 images but not the September 15 shoot the owner needed. September 18 files were also missing. The owner had already tried Recoverit, Disk Drill and 4DDiG and confirmed that no disk image had been made.
Preserve the Remaining Data Before Testing Again
Stop taking photos or formatting the card. If the card is detected reliably at its expected capacity, make a full byte-for-byte image on a healthy drive with enough free space for its entire capacity. Work on that image if the recovery tool supports it. Keep the original card untouched. The GNU ddrescue manual explains image-first preservation and mapfiles for problematic reads.
Why Can Older Files Survive While Newer Photos Are Missing?
Formatting can remove file records without writing over every data block. Later shoots can overwrite selected regions, not necessarily the oldest visible content first. The exact write pattern and whether the camera or card issued an erase/discard command have not been established by the Reddit post. A search hit, thumbnail or filename is not proof that a complete CR3 can be recovered.
Next Decision
- The card image contains complete missing CR3 files: Recover them to a different drive and open the full-resolution originals, including the required frames, before declaring success.
- Only September 5 files appear on different scans: Check for independent camera imports, edit-project originals, delivered exports and client backups. Scanning the same blocks repeatedly cannot reverse overwriting.
- The image shows I/O failures or the card reports abnormal capacity: Stop intensive scans and ask a professional lab whether further reads are appropriate.
The owner already tested Recoverit Memory Card Recovery. Its support for readable CFexpress media does not imply that it can reconstruct CR3 frames overwritten by subsequent sessions. The correct expectation is conditional until a recovered copy of the particular September 15 files opens completely.